Chicken Tortilla Soup

I live in an old brownstone in Bed Stuy Brooklyn and in the Winter it can be a bit drafty in our house so we usually dress in lots of layers. Soup is one of the things that warms us from head to toe. A little spicy and filled with layers upon layers of flavor this soup is delicious. I LOVE this soup!

Chop up the garlic, onions and bell peppers. Season the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss. Get your soup pot ready with 2-3 drizzles of olive oil on medium heat.

Fry the chicken thighs skin side down for a few minutes. You want to form a nice crust. This will seal in the juices keeping the chicken moist. Flip them over and fry for a few more minutes. Remove your chicken and set aside on a platter. You can also remove the chicken skins at this point but it is entirely up to you. (I remove them)

There is a lot of goodness in this pot. Throw in the peppers and onion and saute for a few minutes. Now add in the chopped fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 2 teaspoons of chili powder. Saute for another minute.

Now add in the can of rotel tomatoes, chicken stock, water and tomato paste. Make sure you rinse the black beans and add them into the soup. Give the soup a stir and bring it up to a slow boil on low to medium heat.

In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons of cornmeal with a 1/2 cup of water. Stir it until it comes together. Now add it into your soup and stir.

And last but not least add the chicken. Let the soup simmer for 1 hour uncovered on low to medium heat. After 1 hour remove the chicken thighs and shred the meat off the bone. Put the boneless chicken back into the soup and continue to simmer it while you get the toppings together.